monte83

Referring back to Kemosabe's comment... I meant to criticize those who snub "alternative" groups at the first signs of modest success and recognition... let's be clear: we are in Italy. I prefer to see a few more kids at these concerts than to think that those same kids are off listening to the usual boring Vasco. The Afterhours, whom many "INDIE-SNOBS" now reject, are still able to make more than worthy music after 20 years and support themselves through their art... what's wrong with that? The narrow-mindedness of being an alternative purist really gets on my nerves.

The album is good, courageous in some ways, but in my opinion, it's inferior to the previous one both musically (not all the tracks measure up to Impero dt) and especially in the lyrics. In some instances, they're very good, while in others, they're more predictable, almost like a "flyer"... overall, however, it's a worthy album.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to make a living from your music... that doesn't automatically make it crap just because it manages to reach more people. After all these years, Afterhours still seem like a great band to me. And I also listen to bands that aren't "mainstream," but a large following doesn't necessarily mean they suck. For example, Nirvana will remain one of the greatest bands of all time in my opinion, even though they sold millions of records, and in the same way, I consider the Jesus Lizard phenomenal even though they didn't sell a damn thing in proportion.

And for those who don't know them, I highly recommend the devastating and talented Jesus Lizard, whom the reviewer rightly mentions...the singer David Yow was and still is a beast on stage...he screams like a psychotic and goes wild throughout the live performance, and his voice holds up great...he might not sing in a classical sense, but he’s capable in what he does.

I saw them in concert twice here in Turin, and I really liked them both for their energy and their sound. Sounds and volumes like theirs require venues with a skilled sound engineer... I don’t think they can be blamed for the technical shortcomings of some places. As for Capovilla, what can I say... great frontman but certainly not a great singer; however, he has his excuses: he doesn’t exactly sing melodic music and he puts his whole self into the live performances. I believe he also has off nights, but he’s not always so hoarse live... when I saw them, he did his part both as a singer and, especially, as a theatrical entertainer. I recommend those who were disappointed to see them in better venues. Here in Turin, Hiroshima is well set up in terms of sound.

great album… it would actually be a 4 and a half. Compositively, it’s overall inferior to Nevermind, but the less polished production and some more noise-driven tracks like “milk it” and “scentless apprentice” do it a great service. PS even though they were intentionally raw in their execution and didn't use frills, Nirvana were not exactly incapable. They may not have been masters of technique, but their style is functional to their expressive mode. While it's true that their songs are easy to play, it's equally true that when performed by other more technical bands, they lose everything. This was their true skill: making technically very simple pieces sound like masterpieces, and few can do that. Technicality is one thing, expressiveness and style are another.